I purchased his material last night. What he offers is truly impressive. He goes above and beyond what these usual money-making gurus do. I see nothing scammy about this product. He includes some goodies added in as extras. Some of the extras contain borrowed material which he credits to these authors and other naturopaths who contributed recipes and the like. What he also includes is a full, CD-length audio “pep talk.” This is not at all like your typical condescending pep talk written by a therapist. (Compare, say, to Marsha Linehan’s book, which is nothing but demeaning bullshit!)

I am noticing something amazing. All the naturopaths, or the ones that I have found that seem genuine and actually speak to you or somehow don’t seem scammy, all of them seem to have a few things in common.

Almost all recommend similar dietary changes. Now we may argue that there’s an insane amount of conflicting info out there. This is true, but we need to peel away the scams, the money-makers, the power-seekers, and those that just want to sell their stuff. Now once we have done this, take a look at the few (very few!) that remain.

(Note: if you are concerned about the number of scammy health gurus out there compared to genuine ones…then think of all the licensed MD’s out there who don’t know what they are doing or cause harm….Ratio’s about the same, right?)

Back to naturopaths. Now if we take all the honest ones and look at their messages, they do all say similar things. Each has a way of saying it differently, communicating that message in a way that speaks to some, but others may not find the naturopath’s message useful.

If what they say is true, then shouldn’t it speak to everyone? Not necessarily. It will ring true for you if communicated in a way that you can understand, that you appreciate, that strikes a chord, that educates…and all this has to do with the how of the message. The medium. The genre. Given that humans come from different cultural backgrounds, I can’t imagine we all soak up info exactly the same way.

I listened to the entire CD, which is not on kidney disease but on health in general, and am right now looking over the written material.

Capicchiano is spot on in every way. Almost. I see him waver here and there in his claims. I plan to tell him so because these minor details can be edited out of his material, or changed.

I believe that for the average kidney disease sufferer, especially if your GFR has dropped below 60, his material will be so helpful that you will not regret the purchase.

I do not see anything about lithium in there. I know as a fact that for those of us who took lithium, the protocol to survive and thrive after lithium-related kidney and thyroid damage is not the same as that which the average CKD sufferer might follow.

Capicchiano’s book is designed for the average CKD sufferer and likely is not totally relevant to most of us who took lithium. The material is immensely helpful and worthwhile, but it does not cover lithium-specific issues. Similar to other naturopaths, he recommends steering away from pharmaceuticals and staying healthy instead.

In fact, going to a kidney doctor for lithium-related damage quite likely will harm you or kill you. Some of the advice these doctors give is actually the exact opposite of what lithium survivors need to do to stay alive.

For instance, the typical kidney doctor will tell a patient to limit fluids drastically, even to limit to a pint of water a day. This will very quickly dehydrate a person who has the common lithium-related kidney consequence called diabetes insipidus (DI). In fact, adhering to water restriction and dehydrating yourself will further damage your kidneys, and could put you into renal failure.

Another example is potassium restriction, recommended to those with severe renal damage. I am finding this is not true at all. I lose potassium and even carry potassium supplements around with me when I go out on long trips (as PRN’s!!!).

What about protein? What about fat? What about caffeine and sugar? Can I eat legumes?

I do not think there’s any material out there to guide us. Lithium-damaged patients are dying because they lack information.

What if I published a short booklet on how to survive lithium? Do you guys honestly think there is a need for such a book? I don’t believe I need credentials beyond the very fact that I am alive, happy, vibrant, energetic, employed, feel a sense of purpose, have decent relationships, am strong and fit. And my GFR is 18.

At a GFR of 18 a person likely couldn’t even write this much, couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t sit this long, couldn’t do the research I regularly do, and likely couldn’t take care of daily needs either. Most people who have that low kidney functioning can’t walk or can barely walk. They are tired, so tired of being sick that some beg for dialysis. Not me!

If I did this, should I publish what I have taught myself, it would be groundbreaking material. I could save people’s lives this way.

I have so often told myself if I could share just a little of what I have learned, give it away, or somehow impart it to others, maybe a few will catch on. What do you think?

Of course, as anyone who writes about health does, I would add that little disclaimer that you are in charge of your health, that it is YOUR CHOICE to pick and choose from all the health material you can access, and you choose how to act upon that information. You choose to use what is relevant and discard what doesn’t work for you. As always.

Like this:

Gotta be honest, life sucks.
Right now, unable to touch-type w/left hand
Too much cramping in it.
When I try to sit (now, cramps let up enough to allow LH to type a little)
My legs cramp severely, esp in my calves.

Readers, this is the result of an eating binge,
And I have an eating disorder (in case you didn’t already know).
The binge, in fact, was a very small one.
Most are far worse.
I don’t throw up.
Never have.
Nor do I often eat sweets.
I’ll grab the nearest thing.
And I’m not overweight either.
Nearly starved to death over the summer.
This darned fucking “problem” I have.
Just trying to get anyone to take me seriously….

The cramping began about 1/10th of the way through
And yet I continued,
Mostly my left hand and fingers at first.
And then the pain from muscle cramping got so bad
That it stopped me.

It’s not so much that I am fully aware that this means…
Well…rather…I know I’ve had way, way too much
Potassium-rich food, far more than my kidneys can handle….
This has been happening to me since Feb 2012 and yes,
I mentioned it multiple times to doctors and they
Ignored what I said all along.

I told Dr. P.
I told Dr. K.
I was ignored.
Told to take a bath for the cramps.

I switched from Dr. K to my current PCP in June.The new one told me that yes, this cramping meant something serious.

Must have been over a month ago, probably back in Sept,Phoned my PCP, said I was having cramping like I’m having tonight….never got a callback.
Can’t do a damn thing.

Tonight, earlier, I was screaming aloud.
It’s a good thing my neighbors are all hard of hearing.

Can’t call my health plan. Scared to death to do so.
Obviously it’s stupid to call 911.
I’m always sorry every time I call those dudes.
It always ends up badly.
ER equals misunderstood and misdiagnosed.
Hospital equals abuse.
A doctor is someone who does not ever listen or have time for me.

Does anyone remember that kind Dr. Marcus Welby?That TV doctor
When doctor meant some nice guy
Someone who listened with that warm, compassionate, understanding smile
Who looked right into your heart and told you everything would be fine?
I truly believed in you, Dr. Welby.

What a myth.
What a lie.
I feel gypped out of my candy.
Someone stole the whole bag tonight.
Left me standing in the street with nothing.
My costume ripped
Exposing my skin,
You can see it glistening under the streetlamp
My fake make-up running down my cheeks.